Discussion: International Perceptions of Human Rights

Following the atrocities of World War II, world leaders created a legally binding declaration that would act as the foundation of international human rights law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drafted by committee members from several continents, represents "the universal recognition that basic rights and fundamental freedoms are inherent to all human beings . . . [w]hatever our nationality, place of residence, gender, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status" (United Nations, n.d.-a, para. 2). The leaders recognized that these rights are "inalienable and equally applicable to everyone, and that every one of us is born free and equal in dignity and rights" (United Nations, n.d.-a, para. 2). Although the United Nations declared these rights to apply to everyone, individuals from various cultures differ in terms of ethical norms, codes of conduct, and values. How do these cultural differences in ethical norms and codes of conduct affect public administrators' perceptions of human rights?

For this Discussion, select two cultures within one country (e.g., Basques and Romani people of Spain).

Post an explanation of how the cultural differences in the ethical norms and codes of conduct in your chosen countries might affect a public administrator's perception of human rights within that country. Then, explain how both global governance structures and nongovernmental organizations might address these differences in ethical norms and values in order to improve human rights in that country.Support your postings and responses with specific references to the resources.

Assignment: Human Rights Reflection Paper

You might recall from Week 3 the importance of ethical reflection when determining the impact of your actions as a public administrator. Engaging in a similar type of reflection when reviewing literature in the field also can help you determine the possible impact of the latest theories and research on the field of public administration. How might the human rights readings from this week affect your role as a public administrator? Did the readings change your perception of human rights?

For this Assignment, you reflect on your perception of human rights and its role in public administration. You also examine the potential implications that human rights literature might have for public administrators.

The Assignment (3-4 pages in APA format): Your Assignment should include the following:

A detailed and objective description of the human rights issues presented in this week's readings
An explanation of the nature of the issue(s) and its significance to you as a public administrator
An explanation of what the readings meant to you in the context of your feelings, values, knowledge, and experience
An explanation of the implications these readings might have for public administrators
A summary of one of the following:
What you learned about yourself as a public administrator based on your reaction to the readings
What you learned about global governance from examining these readings
Why this knowledge is important to you as a developing public administrator
How you might apply this knowledge in your future practice
Note: Provide specific examples and cite your references.

Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. Provide a reference list with all resources included in the paper.

Your Assignment must demonstrate both breadth and depth of knowledge and critical thinking appropriate to graduate-level scholarship. It must follow APA Publication Manual guidelines and be free of typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors. The Assignment should be 3-5 pages in length (double-spaced), not including the title page, abstract, and references.